Guide to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Guide to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico – Things to Do, Safety, Cost of Living and Much More

Published August 10, 2023

Millions of Americans, Canadians, and Europeans visit Mexico every year. But the vast majority head to the coasts, to vacation hot spots full of resorts and bustling beach towns like Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo San Lucas.

But Mexico is a large country, about one-fifth the size of the U.S., and has a lot more to offer than margaritas under a beach umbrella.

One of the country’s hidden charms can be found in its interior, about four-hour’s drive northwest of the capital, Mexico City. The town is called San Miguel de Allende, and it’s located in the Colonial Highlands region. It offers a lot of benefits: temperate climate, low cost of living, an active expat community, welcoming locals, charming local cultural traditions, and a focus on the arts.

The setting is beautiful. Its colonial centro is a UNESCO World Heritage site. So it is mandated that homes, churches, civic structures, businesses…just about every original structure…retain its historic, original appearance. And that is strictly-enforced here. Even signage for businesses is discreet. Narrow streets, cobblestone or flagstone, are lined with homes in shades of yellow, red, orange, and brown terracotta, barrel-tile roofs. It might be tough to drive a car here, but it’s certainly a pleasant place to take a long walk, exploring the architectural splendor that includes grand homes with wrought iron bars and imposing wooden doors, baroque churches with carved archways depicting religious scenes, and more.

Thanks to its beauty and peaceful atmosphere, along with all the other benefits, San Miguel is certainly no stranger to expats—they make up about 10% of the 140,000 residents in the wider metro area. These days the population swells during the North American winter, when Canadian, American, and European “snowbirds” flock to town for the great climate.

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